The Synaster Saga, Chapter 1: Glimmer of Hope
by Mutrox
Summary: Korra has wandered to the ends of the earth and back following the defeat of Zaheer. With little or nothing to live for, she recklessly pursues danger in a desperate bid to find her place again. But everything changes when a mysterious spirit arrives and tells her of a powerful enitity that may hold the key to restoring the Avatar State.
1. An Unexpected Ally

Korra stumbled back, her teeth rattling in her head from the impact. Her opponent charged in, his stone-encrusted fist raised above his head. "DIE!" he screamed.

Shaking herself back to awareness, Korra stepped to the side and blasted a bolt of fire at her assailant. The earthbender merely twisted in place, raising a wall of earth to block her attack. Before Korra could react, the earthbender slammed the wall into her, knocking her off her feet and sending her sailing into the wall.

A roar went up from the crowd. "FINISH HER!" A woman screamed from the front row.

The earthbender pulled a massive boulder from the arena floor and bent it at Korra. Recovering, Korra thrust her hand forward, sending a burst of flame into the oncoming projectile. The boulder melted instantly, sending droplets of lava flying in all directions.

Out of the lava appeared the earthbender, having charged after the boulder. Before Korra could react, his fist slammed right into her face. Korra flew backwards, feeling one of her teeth detach and come flying out of her limp mouth. Her head collided with the area wall, and she fell to the ground, unmoving.

"KNOCKOUT!" The announcer declared. The earthbender pumped his fist victoriously before looking over at Korra's limp form. Hey, are you okay?"

Moments later, two of the bouncers dragged Korra out of the ring. Opening the back door, they threw the Avatar into the alley.

Korra stirred as she felt her broken body land on a pile of wet garbage. As the sound of the slamming door reached her ears, she tried to force her damaged limbs to move, but to no avail.

Nothing mattered anymore. These long years after the defeat of Zaheer had dragged by without thought or purpose or meaning. As Korra wandered the distant places of the world, there came more and more days when it was hard to feel anything. On more than one occasion, she had even forgotten the name she had left behind so long ago.

She knew even less of her friends, or the people she had once called friends. Tales of their actions rarely reached her anymore, but she was not completely ignorant of them. Two years ago, she had glimpsed a newspaper stating that Asami had regained control of Sato Industries. Korra had browsed through the article, learning that Asami had pledged to use the technology to help the world recover from all the damage it had endured in the previous years. She certainly looked determined enough in the picture some photographer had taken of her. On her right stood a man Korra had never seen before. The caption had said that his name was Dian, and he was Asami's new personal assistant. Upon reading this, Korra had silently wished the man luck before shouldering her pack and continuing on her journey.

It hadn't been easy getting used to living without the Avatar State. Before, Korra had been able to rest easy in the knowledge that, if she needed to, she could call upon a tremendous reserve of energy and annihilate her foes with ease. But now, unable to access the state, the feeling of helplessness and worthlessness preyed on her every moment of every day.

"What is wrong with me?" she whispered to herself.

"That, my dear, is a very good question."

Korra sat bolt upright, her hand raised as she searched for the source of the voice. "Who's there?"

"Fear not, Avatar. I come in peace." Out of the alley slinked a large grey-and-red spirit. The spirit resembled a tiger-scorpion, except that it possessed four barbed tails instead of two, and the gills on its neck glowed with unearthly energy.

"Who are you?" Korra demanded.

"One who sympathizes with your plight," the spirit hissed softly. "Why do you throw yourself to these dogs?"

"What do you care?"

"You once helped my people," the spirit replied. "We are indebted to you."

Korra lowered her hand. "I left that life behind me. Find someone else."

The spirit flicked its tongue like a snake. "Peace, young Korra. I know how precious the Avatar State was to you, and I am here to offer you hope."

"Hope?" Korra asked. "What do you mean?"

The spirit leapt onto a garbage can so that it and Korra saw eye-to-eye. "What if there was one who could help you?"

"No one can help me."

"Not so, young Korra. We of the Spirit World are many and powerful. And there is one who may be able to make you whole"

Korra looked into the spirit's glowing golden eyes. "What? There's someone who can do that?"

"Indeed, young Avatar. There is one who knows many things, and if there is any help in all the worlds for you, it will be found there."

Korra picked herself up off the garbage pile, brushing some rancid cabbage from her arm. "Who is this spirit, and how do I find her?"

The spirit drew back its lips, revealing two sets of emerald-green fangs. "She is called… Synaster."


	2. Business as Usual

Dian rapped on the heavy oak door as he tried not to let the steaming ceramic mug burn his hand. "Ms. Saito?" he called.

"Come in," a voice from within responded. Dian twisted the heavy brass knob and pushed the door open.

Asami Sato's office overlooked Republic City through the single largest window of bender-proof glass that Dian had ever seen. The floor was covered in a thick woolen carpet with an elaborate pattern depicting the unity between the four nations. On the dark-paneled walls hung various paintings of landscapes from all corners of the world. A large bookshelf to the right of Asami's solid oak desk stood tall and resolute, its neatly-arranged contents daring anyone to remove one of the books and disturb its perfection.

Asami herself stood behind the desk, staring out the window with her hand clasped behind her back. If she hadn't just invited him in, Dian would have sworn that she didn't even know he was there.

"I have those documents you requested, ma'am," he said politely as he approached the desk. "And your tea is just the way you like it."

For a moment, Asami did not respond. Then she shook her head slightly, as if returning from some distant place and time. She turned and accepted the tea from Dian. "Oh, thank you, Dian. Do I have any more appointments today?" she asked as she sat down and took a sip of the steaming amber liquid.

"No, the rest of your day is clear," Dian reported, glancing quickly at a small notebook he had fished out of his pocket. "But tomorrow you're expected to be present for the grand opening of Republic City's new rail system."

"You would think they'd let me off the hook after I funded it," Asami mused quietly. "My father made this job look so easy. Is there anything else I should know about?"

"Yes. The lab has reported a breakthrough in their rocket-propulsion projects. They say they would like to start testing long-range weapon deployment before the year is out."

Asami took another sip and leaned back in her chair. "I see. Thank you, Dian. That will be all."

"Yes ma'am." Dian turned to go, but before he had taken two steps, he paused and turned back. "Ma'am, may I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Shouldn't we be looking for the Avatar?"

Asami paused, and set her cup down on a coaster on her desk. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, ma'am, from what I understand, Avatar Korra left with the intent of working through some of her personal issues."

"That's what she said, yes."

"I don't know what she was going through, but shouldn't she have come back a long time ago?"

Asami considered this. "Honestly, I expected her to return in under a month."

Dian pressed on. "But she's been gone for years. Aren't you worried something might have happened to her?"

Asami's mouth twitched upward into a smile. "Not in the slightest."

"I don't understand."

"Korra isn't so much a bender as she is a force of nature, and I mean that in a good way. When she gets beaten down, she just comes back even stronger. So no, Dian, I'm not worried. Every year she's been gone has only made her more powerful. When she finally decides to come back, she'll be just about unbeatable. So I say let her take her time. She can take care of herself out there. She'll be back when she's ready."

Dian hesitated for a moment. "Maybe, but still it might be wise to tell your people to keep an eye out for her. If nothing else, it will be good to know where she is. And if the world needs the Avatar again, shouldn't there be a way to contact her and get her help?"

Asami folded her hands. "Good point. Very well, put the word to all of Sato Industries' assets. Tell them that if they see the Avatar, they must report it immediately, but they aren't to interfere with her. We don't want her to think we're stalking her."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, was there something else?"

Dian glanced through his notebook again. "Oh, yes. The Earth Kingdom called out an hour ago. They're still trying to get you to provide extra security for Prince Wu's visit to Republic City."

Asami frowned slightly. "Do they expect an attack?"

"They wouldn't say. But they seem to be worried about something." Seeing Asami's expression, Dian tried backpedaling. "I'm sure it's nothing, ma'am. You know how these government types are, always looking over their shoulders. Plus, if they get backing from the company working to fix the world, it would help legitimize the prince."

Asami nodded thoughtfully. "It would also mean strengthening ties with the Earth Kingdom. Alright, give them their extra security."

"I'll see to it at once, ma'am," Dian said, writing in his notebook. "Will that be all?"

"No. This day took more out of me than I thought." She carefully began removing items from her desk and placing them on the floor.

Dian caught her meaning immediately. "Would you like the usual, ma'am?"

Asami finished clearing off her desk. "I've been feeling a little tense lately." She climbed on top her desk and lay on her stomach, folding her arms under her head. "Try to get my shoulders as best you can."

"Yes, ma'am." Stuffing his notebook back into his pocket, Dian walked around the desk and began massaging Asami's back.


End file.
